Royal Romance
by Daughter of Nature
Summary: A collection of mostly unrelated Kel/Vania drabbles. Written for Goldenlake's SMACKDOWN.
1. Knighted

"Behave yourselves," muttered Roald.

Vania gave him her sweetest grin. "Do we look like we're misbehaving?"

"Well, hush. Her shield's about to be presented."

Jasson was watching Kel with her family and friends. "She's popular," he said, surprised. "When she started, Roald said nobody was friends with her."

"You haven't been paying very close attention, then."

"And you have?"

Vania tilted her head to the side as she watched Kel. "She's not conventionally pretty, but…there's something about her that makes her attractive."

Jasson stared at her and then leaned closer. "Do you..you know, _like _her?"

"Don't sound so disbelieving."

"But you're only fourteen."

Vania stuck her nose up in the air. "I might just have to wait a few years, that's all." She elbowed him. "Now, shut up. Father's glaring at us."


	2. Wedding

"I hate being stuck here. It's not fair, I wanted to see Aunt Buri and Uncle Raoul get married."

"Me too," said Jasson. "People always forget to watch where the ale goes at weddings; they're too busy being happy."

"Well, _I_ can have a good time without drinking." Vania fluttered her eyelashes at her brother. "I just use my feminine charms."

"Stop that," he insisted. "Aren't you supposed to be too young for boys?"

Vania smirked. "I'll let you think what you like. Besides, I'm not interested in any boys right now. I heard that Lady Knight Keladry was at the wedding."

"Oh, you want to meet her? Well, maybe Roald could tell you some stories about her."

"No, I'd rather meet her."

"Well, the war is starting to wind down. Maybe when she's back in Corus you could ask her to tell you about the wedding."

Vania grinned.


	3. Sisterly gossip

"Alan gave me flowers this morning. He picked them himself."

"That's sweet."

"He said that bluebells are his favourite flower now because they match my eyes."

Vania snorted. "I bet he just copied what Uncle George says about Aunt Alanna and violets."

Lianne frowned. "Well, I think it was sweet of him, all the same."

"Of course. So, did you _do_ anything?"

"Oh, we just walked around the gardens and kissed and held hands." She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and leaned in to whisper in Vania's ear. "Last week, we were in his room alone, and I let him touch my chest. And it was nice." She giggled and blushed. "Now, tell me about you, Nia."

"Well…I like it when Kel licks me _here_," said Vania, and pointed.

Lianne's eyes widened.


	4. Letter

"News from your family?" Kaddar smiled at his wife, who was already reading the letter. "I'll leave you alone to read it," he offered, and headed for the door.

"It's fine," she said, and then gasped. "Gods! I wasn't expecting that!"

Kaddar turned back, curious. "Expecting what? Is it Vania again?"

Kally laughed. "Yes, and you don't sound very surprised." She folded the letter up again, her eyes dancing. "You know how I told you about Keladry of Mindelan?"

"The second female knight after the Lioness?"

Kally nodded. "Yes. "Well, it seems that she and my sister are now lovers."


	5. Charm

"Vania, do you have a moment?"

"Of course, Mother."

Thayet came into Vania's rooms and sat down. "Perhaps I've been too indulgent in myself," she said. "It's hard, you know…you're the youngest, you're my baby." Vania pulled a face, and Thayet laughed. "Exactly. Much as I hate to think it, you're growing up. I'm letting you know that I'm going to ask Alanna for a pregnancy charm for you."

"Thank you, Mother, but I don't need it."

"I know you might not think you need it now, but I've heard of several…incidents involving you with a boy, Vania. I'd rather you had one."

"No, really, Mother. Those _incidents_ were months ago, and I think that Keladry will have a _very_ difficult time getting me pregnant."


	6. Ulterior motives

Kel wiped her forehead on her sleeve. "You're certainly getting much better with the glaive, your Highness."

"It's Vania," the princess insisted. "And I'm not so good that you can stop giving me private help."

"Honestly, I don't think you need it," Kel told her. "But I'm happy to continue if you want me to."

"I do." Vania reached up and brushed Kel's hair from her face. "You look like you need a bath."

"I feel like I need one too," agreed Kel. "If you don't mind leaving things here, I'll head back to my rooms and-"

"Don't bother with that," Vania interrupted. She grinned at Kel. "The public baths are _much_ closer.


	7. Meeting

"Really, we have to do something about her. It's disgraceful."

"Roald, she's much younger than you," Lianne pointed out. "Let her have her fun while she's young."

"Why can't you encourage her to be more like you? Vania is going to ruin her reputation and that of our family. She has a duty to our people to act like a princess."

Liam snorted. "What're you going to do, tell on her?"

"Maybe I'll have to. I should tell on you while I'm at it, you stink of alcohol."

Lianne giggled. "It _is _a little childish, Roald."

"You make me sound like a tyrant," he complained. "I wouldn't mind if she stuck with one boy like you do with Alan, but there's _hordes_ of them."

Jasson smirked and leaned back in his chair. "You don't know who her latest lover is, do you?"

The other three all blinked and looked at him. "It doesn't matter," said Roald. "She'll be rid of him within a week."

"You're wrong already," Jasson told him, and laughed. "I think Lady Knight Keladry will be just as good an influence as Lianne. More fun, too."


	8. Compensation

"I'm sorry that my father put you on probation."

Kel turned around and stared. She'd seen all of Wyldon's daughters at Owen's wedding, and the young woman in front of her wasn't one of them. She did have black hair and brown eyes, and Kel couldn't help but notice that she was breathtakingly beautiful, but that didn't explain why a princess of Tortall would be in a mud-covered shirt and pair of breeches, and apologising to her.

"Your Highness," murmured Kel, and bowed.

"I'd rather you called me Vania." She flicked her long hair over her shoulder. "So as I said, I'm sorry that my father put you on probation."

Kel blinked. "It's all in the past now," she said. "There's no need to worry about it."

"Oh, but there is," Vania insisted. She stepped closer and laid her hand on Kel's arm. "I was thinking I could make it up to you."


	9. Correction

"Oh no, they're not _that_ big."

The two newest members of her Rider group stared at her in shock.

"Don't look at me like that," she told them. "I just couldn't help but overhear you discussing Lady Knight Keladry." She smiled at them. "I just thought I should set you straight, that's all. They're smaller than mine," she told them, and stuck her chest out. Both young men blushed bright red, and she laughed. "But they suit her. She has really long legs, too, and her neck is really sensitive."

"H-how do you know that?" one of them asked.

Vania's smile widened to a grin. "How do you think?"


	10. Disgrace

"Ha, I knew it!"

Vania glared at her brother and climbed back in the window. "What do you want, Roald?"

"Really, Vania. Couldn't you just sneak into Keladry's rooms through the door?"

Vania grinned at him. "Oh, but this is so much more exciting."

"Climbing down two levels to your lover's window in your underthings might be exciting, but it's not decent and it's not respectable. You're a princess of Tortall, and you must be decent and respectable. And [i]discreet[/i]."

She pouted. "Spoil sport."

"Vania?" Both siblings stared at the door as they heard their mother knock.

Roald turned to her with a smug look. "Swear that you'll never do anything disgraceful again, or I'll tell on you."

"You can try," she pointed out, "but you have no evidence. You'll also have to explain why you were watching me in my underthings." She smirked, knowing that she had the upper hand. "Now _that's_ what I'd call a disgrace, Roald."


	11. Confusion

Kel laughed. "This is the trouble in sleeping with another woman. I have no idea which clothes are mine and which are yours."

"My shirt was blue," offered Vania. "Other than that, I don't know either. I'm perfectly happy for you to stay naked though."

"I would be too," agreed Kel, "if I didn't have to leave this room. But unfortunately, I do."

Vania trailed her fingers idly down Kel's side. "I suppose next time we'll have to be boring and make a Vania pile and a Kel pile."

Kel looked at her and smiled. "There's going to be a next time?"

"Of course."


	12. Midwinter Luck

"You manage to make it quite cheery here for Midwinter."

Kel smiled. "I like it to feel festive."

"It's nice, I expected a refugee camp to be quite dreary. It's not so bad, and the decorations make it very Midwintery."

"I suppose you'd still prefer to be back at the palace though."

"Well, the palace is nice, but so long as I can find some Midwinter luck I'm sure I'll be _very_ happy here."

Kel swallowed. "Midwinter luck?"

"Yes." Vania smiled. "Actually, I was hoping that you could help me with that." She stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips to Kel's.


	13. Dubious tradition

"Don't look at me like that, Father."

"Vania, your behaviour is unacceptable."

She rolled her eyes. "Did Roald tell on me?"

"I'm not telling you my sources, I'm telling you that your behaviour is a disgrace and it needs to stop now."

Vania sighed. "Fine, I'll be boring and subtle and discreet." She crossed her arms. "What? I'm not breaking things off with her. It's tradition," she insisted.

Jonathan's eyebrows raised. "Tradition?" he asked, and ran a hand through his hair. Vania suspected that she had caused at least half of those grey ones, and she smirked.

"Of course. A lady knight should always sleep with a Conte, shouldn't she Father?"


	14. Lady Knights

"Aren't lady knights fun?"

Vania stared at her Uncle George and then grinned. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you found out about that."

He grinned back. "I'm sure you know your old Uncle well enough to not be surprised."

"I feel like I'm part of a very exclusive club now."

"Knowing me well?"

"I meant sleeping with a lady knight."

George chuckled, his eyes flicking over to watch his wife where she was speaking to Keladry. "There's something about them, don't you think? Speaking solely from experience with Alanna, of course."

"We don't have the same…depth of affection, I suppose, that you and Aunty Alanna have. It's more like raging lust."

"We have that too," he assured her, and winked. "Isn't it fun?"

Vania grinned.


End file.
